Let me introduce to you Zaiga Brača, a fabulous tall lady from Latvia who is brave enough to own and run a shop for large size shoes – both men’s and women’s. I can’t help admiring her entrepreneurship! As we all know, there aren’t many shops nowadays that specialise in large sizes. Being a fairly niche business, it is also a bit risky, yet she keeps going since opening her shop Apavi+ 13 years ago (April 9, 2010).

We are all so familiar with the struggle to find shoes big enough. As Zaiga says, to be honest, we the tall people need some stable base to not be blown away by the wind!

Although we are lucky enough to have a handful of such shops in the UK, they are not very many and we rely heavily (or if you live like me in the middle of nowhere, solely!) on the Internet. So, here is another online shoe shop to add to your list.

The fact that Apavi 40+ is still up and running is a clear evidence that the gap in the market still exists and such a shop is needed. In the shop, and on the website, you can find women’s shoes from size 41 to 46 (UK 7-12) and men’s shoes 46-54 (UK 11- 19).

Zaiga herself is not the shortest person standing tall at 180 cm, but is lucky enough to have a relatively small size feet: 41-42 (UK 7-8). Back in the days, however, even this size was a problem, especially in Latvia, which is known to be the country where on average you can find the tallest women in the world! Those of you who’ve read my book will know that other post communist countries were in the same boat (you can read all about it in the humorous chapter dedicated to our tall fashion woes). I will never forget the men’s shoes I had to wear when my shoe size was 41: scars left for life (metaphorically and, unfortunately, literally).

In the beginning, Zaiga started off with only a physical shop in Riga (Latvia), but Apavi 40+ has now expanded and delivers worldwide: from Chile to New Zealand. Great news for those of you who love brick and mortar, too: you can still try all the shoes on, as the shop in Riga is still there, survived through the last stormy years.

So, if you decide to plan a trip to the beautiful city of Riga, don’t miss this chance to visit this big size shoe paradise: from sneakers to high heels, from ankle boots to high boots, you can find everything there, especially if you are clever enough to come at the beginning of the season. 

Zaiga and her team keep expanding their offering and are constantly on the lookout for new brands to satisfy their customers’ different tastes, as we all are so different. Any suggestions are always welcome!

If you like shoe shopping and have large feet, make sure you give the shop a follow on Facebook and Instagram. Their sale is on right now: great time to have a peek.